


bird bones and butterfly wings

by squilf



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst, Ben is a third wheel, Ben wants his brothers to get their shit together, Domestic Fluff, Drug Use, Hurt/Comfort, Klaus is dramatic, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pre-Canon, Sharing a Bed, Sibling Incest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-29
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-12-26 07:08:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18278291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squilf/pseuds/squilf
Summary: Klaus leaves the Umbrella Academy.“Come with me,” he tells Diego.“Klaus…” Diego says, and Klaus knows it was stupid to ask.Diego finds Klaus a few years after he left the Umbrella Academy, and tentatively, they start to build a life together.





	bird bones and butterfly wings

**Author's Note:**

> So I came out of _The Umbrella Academy_ seriously shipping Klaus and Diego. I really wanted to write something for these precious Soft boys, so I [asked folks to send me prompts](http://squilf.tumblr.com/post/183582442440/okay-so-ive-come-out-of-umbrella-academy-edit) on tumblr. And boy, I got some good’uns!
> 
> This was written for the anonymous prompt:  
>  _Yo,,, just consider,,; some thiccc klaus and Diego angst please,,, like after they left the academy the decided to try n build a lil life for themselves but Diego still insists on doing the vigilante things and it worries klaus so much and then something happens and klaus is convinced Diego os gravely injures/dead and when Diego comes home klaus can only tell him how much he loves him (bonus points if Diego calls klaus baby)_  
>  I hope you enjoy it, anon!

 Klaus leaves the Umbrella Academy.

“Come with me,” he tells Diego.

“Klaus…” Diego says, and Klaus knows it was stupid to ask.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The world outside is cruel and beautiful. Klaus alternates between sober and high, and it’s like waking from a dream, then slipping back into it. His existence becomes about looking for his next fix, or the means to get it. Sometimes it’s guys – guys who let him sleep on the couch, guys who’ll pay a reasonable fee for things he’d probably end up doing anyway, guys who just wanna give him a good time, baby. Sometimes he’s alone, traipsing out on the streets. He can summon the dead relatives of passers-by if he’s sober enough, and that usually convinces them to part with a few bucks – or at least stop long enough for him to take appropriate payment. Wallets, watches, phones, cameras… Klaus gets away with pawning a few things, and for the rest, well, he knows a guy. He laughs when he overhears one of the rough sleepers saying he’s a con artist.

“As if I’d _want_ to hang out with the dead,” Klaus mutters.

Ben gives him a look.

“No offence,” Klaus says.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Diego finds him. It’s been a couple of years, maybe three – Klaus doesn’t really remember anymore. But he stumbles back to his apartment one night and there he is, sitting at the kitchen table. Diego looks awkward, like he’s trying to avoid touching anything.

“Oh look,” Klaus says to Ben, “It’s Diego!”

“Are you high?” says Diego.

Klaus rushes over, knocking over a chair, and throws his arms around him with a huge smile. Diego pats his arm awkwardly, held fast in Klaus’ tight embrace.

“Are you staying?” Klaus says.

“This place is filthy,” Diego says.

“That means yes!” Klaus proclaims to Ben.

“Good,” Ben says, “I got tired of cleaning up your mess.”

“Ben says he’s _thrilled_ ,” Klaus says, kissing the top of Diego’s head.

“Thanks, Ben,” Diego says, in the general direction Klaus has been talking to.

“I knew you’d come,” Klaus says.

He sighs happily, resting his head on top of Diego’s.

“Are you gonna let me go now?” Diego asks.

“ _Ssh_ ,” Klaus says, shutting his eyes and rocking gently, “Let me enjoy this.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Tentatively, Diego slots into Klaus’ life. Their coexistence is a fragile thing, all bird-bones and butterfly wings. Diego makes a bit of money at the boxing ring. Klaus does, too, betting on him. Well, most of the time – Diego scowls and storms off when he notices Klaus stuffing a wad of notes into his coat pocket after he’s lost a match.

“There was a guy staring at you tonight,” Ben says, on the walk home.

Klaus would usually get something to take the edge off right away, the money burning a hole in his pocket, but not tonight. Tonight, he’s content with the cool night air and the stars as he wanders back to the apartment.

“Well, they will when you look like _this_ ,” Klaus says, gesturing to himself.

“You know what I mean. It’s been a while since you’ve gone home with someone. Not that I’m complaining.”

Klaus shrugs.

“I’m earning an honest living now. I don’t have to do that anymore.”

“He was your type.”

“I have a type?”

Ben snorts.

“ _Yeah_ , you have a type.”

Klaus looks sidelong at Ben. Ben’s looking at him expectantly.

“What are you looking at?” Klaus says.

He comes home with takeout – Thai, Diego’s favourite. They eat in silence in front of the TV, Klaus’ legs stretched out over Diego’s lap, and Klaus figures he’s forgiven.

“Ben’s sitting next to you, by the way,” Klaus says quietly, after a while.

“Oh,” Diego says, “Hey, Ben.”

Ben smiles.

“Hey, Diego.”

After that, Diego always remembers to leave a space on the couch. Ben loves him for it.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Diego cooks. It starts as a general horror at what Klaus puts into his body and becomes an insistence that he eats _real food,_ _red vines do not count_. It’s somewhat experimental at first, burnt pancakes and soggy pasta, but Klaus rather likes the look of Diego in his _Kiss the Cook_ apron, and will eat practically anything, anyway. And when Diego holds out a spoon of something from the hob for him to taste, or lets him lick the bowl after he’s mixed up cake batter, well, it feels good. The sounds Klaus makes eating Diego’s first attempt at bread (still warm, salted butter melting in, God, it makes his toes curl) turn Diego’s ears pink.

“Get a _room_ ,” Ben says.

“Oh, I will get a room with this bread,” Klaus says, his mouth full, “I will show this bread the time of its young _life_.”

Klaus starts getting used to the smell of freshly baked bread in the apartment. He starts getting used to being looked after.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Klaus stays out in the rain one day.

“It doesn’t bother me, but aren’t you going to get really cold and wet?” Ben says.

“Probably,” Klaus says.

When he comes into the apartment, his clothes are stuck to his skin, hair plastered to his forehead, raindrops glistening on his face.

“Jesus, Klaus,” Diego says, “You trying to catch your fucking death out there?”

He’s cooking something that smells really good, and he immediately leaves it to fuss over Klaus.

“You need to get out of these wet things,” Diego says, tearing his coat off.

“Buy me dinner first,” Klaus says, but he’s shivering.

“I _was_ making lasagne before you came in like a drowned rat.”

Diego peels his clothes off and roughly towels him dry, keeping up a steady stream of complaints in the process. He dresses Klaus in his own clothes – none of Klaus’ are clean, and he has a _lot_ to say about that – and the soft t-shirt and jogging bottoms smell vaguely of him.

“I’m _cold_ ,” Klaus whines.

“Oh, you’re cold,” says Diego, “Funny how that happens when you stand out in the rain.”

He manhandles Klaus into his bed, covering him with the duvet and an extra blanket, and leaves the room, muttering something about getting a hot water bottle. Klaus sneaks a smile at Ben, who is lying next to him on the bed. On top of the covers, of course.

“You have a _problem,_ ” Ben says.

“You’ll need to be more specific,” Klaus says.

“Doing stupid shit because you want Diego to take care of you.”

Klaus shrugs.

“He likes it. He misses mum.”

“He misses being taken care of.”

“He misses being loved,” Klaus corrects him.

“What?”

“Mum never tested us or wanted us to be good enough. She was made to love us.”

Ben ducks his head down. Klaus knows he misses her too.

“And now…” Klaus says quietly, “I think that unconditional, unfailing love is the only kind he can accept. But right now, he needs a reason for me to give it to him.”

Klaus flashes Ben a grin.

“And I _really_ like being someone’s baby.”

Diego comes back into the room and shoves the hot water bottle into the bed.

“Lasagne’s in the oven,” he says, “Should be 45 minutes.”

“Aren’t you gonna stay and warm me up?” Klaus says.

He gives Diego what he thinks is a winning smile. Diego sighs and climbs in, as if accepting his fate.

“Budge up,” Klaus tells Ben.

Ben shuffles over and then the three of them are all lying on their backs next to each other, Ben-Klaus-Diego. Klaus hums contentedly and practically plasters himself to Diego’s side.

“Don’t get any ideas,” Diego says.

Klaus tucks his head under Diego’s chin, thinks briefly about kissing his neck.

“Ben’s lying right next to me.”

“That’s never stopped you in the past,” Ben says.

“He likes to be big spoon,” Klaus says.

“You are _such_ a little spoon,” Ben says, “Don’t even deny it. Everyone knows.”

The lasagne is delicious.

 

 

* * *

 

 

There are things they keep from one another. Klaus sneaks out to get booze and drugs. Diego sneaks out to go on solo vigilante missions. They don’t talk about it, until they do.

One night, Diego comes back hurt. He climbs through the window and crumples onto the floor.

“What happened to you?” Klaus says.

“I could – ah – say the same for you,” Diego pants, struggling to sit up.

Klaus brandishes the bottle of vodka he’s been drinking. He’s only made it about a third of the way down, but Ben left when his vision started to get blurry and his limbs got tired.

“It’s obvious what happened to me,” Klaus says.

He sets the bottle down and moves over to Diego.

“I told you not to wait up,” Diego says, wincing as Klaus picks him up.

“I told you not to get hurt,” Klaus says.

“Occupational hazard.”

Klaus starts hauling him over to the sofa.

“This is the shit that got you kicked out of the police academy. We’re not in the Umbrella Academy anymore, Diego.”

“We still have a responsibility to help people.”

Klaus rolls his eyes.

“ _Responsibility_.”

“Yeah,” Diego says, “Not that you’d know anything about that.”

“You sound like dad.”

“You sound like a baby.”

They reach the sofa and Diego sits down heavily, gasping a little at the pain.

“Where does it hurt?” Klaus asks.

Diego rests his hand on his left side.

“Here. Probably cracked a few –”

Klaus promptly elbows him in the ribs.

“Fuck!” Diego yells.

“That’s for getting yourself hurt,” Klaus says.

“Well, thanks, that helps a lot.”

“Off,” Klaus says, gesturing to Diego’s shirt.

Diego tries to pull it off, one handed. It looks painful and he’s struggling, and Klaus takes pity on him.

“C’mere,” he says, pulling it off over Diego’s head.

Klaus tries not to stare. Diego is, well… hot. Klaus knows what he looks like under his clothes – he doesn’t tie is towel as high as Klaus does when he gets out of the shower, and Klaus absolutely does _not_ look at the tracks of water droplets running down his muscles then. Klaus coughs and leans closer, pointedly inspecting Diego’s injury. The skin is grazed, bruises already blossoming under the surface.

“No Ben?” Diego asks.

“He doesn’t care about you like I do,” Klaus says, with a touch of the dramatic.

“I don’t think even _you_ care about me like you do,” Diego grumbles.

“Poor baby,” Klaus says.

When Ben comes back, Klaus is cleaning the wound with vodka and cotton wool, biting his lower lip in concentration.

“Don’t look now,” Ben says, “But Diego is looking at you like you’re the best thing he’s ever seen.”

Klaus smiles.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Diego still goes on his solo missions, but now he leaves a police radio out on the side so Klaus can listen in. It doesn’t make Klaus worry any less. But he likes the sound, the near-constant buzz of words filling the emptiness. He doesn’t tell Diego how much it worries him. How much he’s afraid that Diego will end up like Ben, a shadow by his side instead of real and whole. Another ghost he has to live with. But Diego can see Klaus waiting up for him. He can hear Klaus bitching at him a lot more the day after he’s been out. He can feel the way Klaus touches him a little more, reassuring himself that he’s still here, still alive. And he doesn’t stop, and it _hurts_.

And then.

And then.

One night, Klaus hears a voice crackle over the radio.

“Hey, we got a casualty here. Male, looks around 30, facial scar, carrying a _lot_ of knives. Matches the description of that lunatic vigilante.”

“10-45?”

“10-45D.”

And everything changes.

Klaus’ eyes go wide.

“Diego?” he says, and his voice very, very quiet.

“We don’t know that,” Ben says.

“But they said…”

“It could have been someone else.”

“How many guys are there wandering around the city, _his_ age with _his_ scar and a fuckload of knives?” Klaus spits.

He’s slurring his words and he feels frantic, out of control.

“It’s a big city,” Ben says.

Klaus stares daggers at him.

“Listen, if he _is_ …” Ben says, “You’ll be able to summon him.”

“I’m too drunk for that.”

Klaus lurches up from the sofa.

“I need to go find him.”

“They won’t let you near,” Ben says, “You’ll just get arrested. That’s not going to help anyone.”

“I have to do _something_!”

Klaus scrunches his eyes shut and covers his face with his hands. He’s holding back tears of anger and hurt, and if he’s not careful he’s going to be sobbing on the floor. He groans in frustration.

“ _Breathe_ ,” Ben says, “It’s gonna be okay.”

“No, it’s not, it’s _not_ ,” Klaus whines, “We had something, something good, something better than the both of us, and it made me… It made me feel _loved_ , and warm, and I’ve not felt that way in so fucking long. I never told him that.”

“Tell him yourself,” Ben says.

Klaus looks up. Diego is standing by the front door. Klaus blinks. And then he decks him.

“Jesus, Klaus!” Diego yells.

Klaus grapples with him, wrestling him to the floor.

“I thought you were _dead_! You fucking bastard! I was _so_ damn scared, Diego, you have no idea!”

Diego shoves him, trying to break free, but Klaus is pinning him the floor, one hand on his head. In the corner, Ben is laughing.

“And you can shut the hell up!” Klaus shouts.

“I’m sorry,” Diego says.

“That’s not fucking good enough.”

“I’m sorry, b-baby.”

Klaus’ breath catches in his throat and his eyes fill with tears.

“Don’t you _dare_ do that to me again.”

He crashes into Diego, clutching onto him as the strangled sobs he’s been holding in finally force their way out of his throat.

Diego strokes his hair and whispers into his ear, and it’s nothing more than a stream of nonsensical reassurances, but it’s the best thing anyone’s ever said to him.

“Ssh, baby, it’s okay, I got you, I’m here, it’s okay, ssh.”

Klaus sniffles and pulls back, wiping his eyes with the heel of his hand.

“You don’t know how much I love you, Diego.”

Diego’s face goes soft. He reaches up and tucks a strand of hair behind Klaus’ ear.

“I have an idea,” he whispers.

“No you don’t.”

Klaus leans down and kisses Diego’s forehead.

“I love you.”

Diego’s eyes flutter shut. Klaus kisses them, his nose, his cheeks, punctuating each kiss with “I love you.”

He stops short at Diego’s lips, hesitating for a second, his thumb stroking across them. Diego’s eyes are so dark and so warm.

“I love you too, baby,” he says.

Klaus smiles and kisses him, hard.

“Thank fuck,” Ben says, “I’ve been waiting for you two to figure that out.”

Klaus laughs, breaking the kiss.

“What is it?” Diego says.

“Ben says he’s happy for us.”

“Oh. Thanks, Ben.”

“Ssh,” Klaus says, kissing him again.

This time he slips his tongue into Diego’s mouth. Diego moans and pulls Klaus close, so they’re pressed up against one another, as close as they can get.

“Yeah,” Ben says, “I’m less happy about it now.”

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to hit me up [on tumblr](http://squilf.tumblr.com/) if you have Klaus/Diego feels!


End file.
